Manufacture of weather-strip elements



Nov. 22, 1938. w R. c. PIERCE 2,137,697

MANUFACTURE OF WEATHER STRIP ELEMENTS Filed March so, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ROBERT C P/ERcE ATTORNEY.

Nov. 22, 1938. R. c. PIERCE MANUFACTURE OF WEATHER STRIP ELEMENTS Filed March so, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ROBERT C. PIERCE BY ATTORNEY.

Nov. 22, 1938.. R. c. PIERCE MANUFACTURE OF WEATHER STRIP ELEMENTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 30, 1935v INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Nov. 22, 1938. R. c. PIERCE I 2,137,697

MANUFACTURE OF WEATHER STRIP ELEMENTS Filed March 30, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 AA A INVENTOR.

BY ROBERT C. PIERCE ATTORNEY:

Patented Nov. 22, i938 MANUFACTURE OF WEATHER-STRIP ELEMENTS Robert 0. Pierce, Niles, Mich, assignor to National Standard Gompany, Niles, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application March 30, 1935, Serial No. 13,979

26 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of weather strips, especially those used for automobile doors, and will be described as carried out with a novel machine which is adapted to operate continuously and automatically as long as supplied with the materials used.

An object of the invention is to improve the weather strip by embodying therein a novel and inexpensive but effective resilient means for 1a yieldingly holding the weather strip in sealing engagement with its door. I prefer to use resilient wire, which can be wound rapidly and accurately about a suitable core (of twisted tarred paper or other material) in such a manner as to form a series of fiat resilient loops approximately in the same plane at one side of the core.

An element of this type preferably has mounted thereon a slitted tubular cover (of rubber or 9 the like) which embraces and incloses the core,

- with the flat resilient wire loops projectin through the slitted side of the cover. Usually the entire weather-strip is'then'provided with a fabric cover, sewed or otherwise secured in place, and which cooperates with the fiat wire loops to form a resilient flange by means of which the weather strip is attached to the door frame or other support.

Various features of the invention relate to the structure of the described weather strip, and to the method of making it which has been described above in general terms and which is hereinafter explained in detail;

Other important features of the invention re- -late to a novel machine for manufacturing the above-described weather-strip elements. In the preferred construction, the core is red lengthwis'e through an annular power-rotated member which carries a supply of wire, and which winds the wire (under tension) continuously about the advancing core, and about a presser foot or the like which is advanced at the same speed as the core in a path paralleling but spaced from the core, thus forming the enlarged loops described above. The presser foot may periodically, and preferably at a very much higher speed, be shifted toward the core to disengage itfrom the wire and then returned to its starting point.

The core with the wire so wound thereon then advances to means, such as a novel series of rollers, for compressing the wire about the core and flattening the loops into substantially thev same plane.- I prefer to stretch the wire about the core so tightly that it is stretched beyond 58 its elastic limit, so that-there is no tendency to' spring back when it leaves the machine. These rollers in themselves embody certain features of novelty, further described below.

Ii desired,'the core element so made may next be advanced to a novel mechanism which opens 5 up a slitted tubular cover, preferably of rubber, and then closes it about the core with the fiat wire loops projecting through the slltted side of the cover.

The fabric cover may be secured about the i0 weather strip-by a sewing machine of any desired construction, not necessary to be described herein, as standard commercial sewing machines are adapted to perform this operation.

The above and other objects and features of 15 the invention, including various novel constructlons and operative steps and sequences, and various important specific arrangements and relationships, will be apparent from the following description of the disclosure in the accompany 20 ing drawings, in which:

Figure .1 is a top plan view of that part of the machine which applies the wire to the advancing core;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, looking 25 in the direction of the arrows 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a partial section on the line 3--3 of Figure 1, showing the drive means for the loop-compressing rollers;

Figure 4 is a perspective view or the principal 30 operative parts of the machine; I

Figure 5 is a partial section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1, showing the means for tensioning the advancing core;

Figure 6 is an elevation of an alternative con- 35 struction of wire-compressing rollers;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the iefthand rollers of Figure 6;

' Figure 8 is an elevation of an alternative form of the rollers shown in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the core element as it would look when held by the rollers of Figure 8, before being released from those rollers;

Figure 10 is a side elevation of the complete machine; 45

Figure 11 is a diagram showing the successive addition to the core of the wire, the rubber cover, and the fabric cover;

Figure 12 is a section through the finished weather strip, on the line l2-l2 of Figure 11; 50

Figure 13 is a partial section of a part of a door and its frame, with the door closed and sealed by the weather strip;

-Figure 14 is a partial section thereof just before the door closes; and

' ring 82. Av second arm Figure 15 is a sectional view of a slitting means for operating on the rubber tubing.

Referring first to Figures 11 to 14, the novel weather strip comprises a continuous elongated cordlike element or a flexible core I8, of twisted tarred paper or the like, having formed thereon a resilient wire l2 parts I4 of which are compressed (and' preferably stretched beyond the elastic limit of the wire so they will not spring back), and other parts of which are in the form of flat resilient loops I8 all approximately in the same plane.

A slitted tubular cover I8, of rubber or the like, encloses the core I8 and parts I4 of the wire, with the loops I8 projecting through its slitted side. A fabric cover 28-encloses the whole weather-strip. It has a seam 22 quite close to the rubber cover I8, and may ever, that the attaching flange resiliently urgesthe enlarged edge portion of the weather strip into sealing engagement with the door. and there is no tendency to spring away from the door.

Referring now to Figures 1-5, the core I8 is fed (from any desired'source such as the reel guides 28 and 88, under a tensioning shoe 82 pivoted on a horizontal lever 84 urged by an adjustable spring 88 in a direction to grip the core frictionally against the guide 28. It is drawn under tension from this friction drag by rollers 88 and 48 further described below.

Between the shoe 82 and the rollers 88 is arranged a spool" carrying the wire I2, which passes from the spool through a guide 44 and over a guide roller 48 and thence one or more times around a tensioning roller 48 held by a friction shoe 88, which guides the wire as it is wound around the core I 8.

The spool 42, the guide 44, the roller 48, the

2'! shown in Figure 10) lengthwise, pastsuitable tensioning roller 48, and the shoe I8, are allmounted on a rotatable annular member or ring 82 (Figure 2) arranged with the moving core I8 at its axis. 'Ihering annular shoulders 84 rotatably seated on and supported by three sets of anti-friction rolls 88 supported on the machine frame 88. The central part of member 82 is formed with gear teeth 88 drivably meshing with a sprocket chain 82 driven bya sprocket gear 84 (Figure 2) on a horizontal drive shaft 88 driven by a belt pulley 88 or other suitable means. Asshown in Figure 10, the pulley" may be connected by a belt drive .78 to an electric motor I2 controlled by a switch or the like I4.

The shoe 88 is carried by one arm of a threearm bell-crank lever 18 pivoted on the rotating of lever 'I8 is connected to a coil spring I8, which is under substantial tension and which urges the-shoe downwardly. The third arm of lever 18 carries a cam roller 88 which, at certain (e. g.,during the withdrawal stroke of the presser foot described below,- and during such time as wire is "withdrawn most rapidly from the spool 42) successivelyengages cams 82. shown as ad- Justably mounted on the machine frame, thereif desired have. one or more other seams where it projects out- 82 has enlarged sides or' points in the machine cycle by relieving the pressure on the shoe 58. The

88. The slide 86 is held yieldably against the cam 88 by a heavy ,tensioned coil spring 88.

The slide 88 reciprocates as a plunger in a carrier 82, best shown in Figure 4, which is mounted at its lower end on a pivot 84 and which has a cam roller 88 engaging a double edge cam 88 driven in synchronism with the cam 88.

The cams 88 and 88 are both driven from a shaft I88 (Figure 4) operated by a sprocket gear I82 driven by a sprocket chain I84 connecting it to another sprocket gear on the shaft 66, Thus the cams 88 and 88 are driven in synchronism with the wire carrier ring 52.

The cycle of the presser foot 84 is: (1) it is moved forward by cam 88 in a path paralleling but spaced from the advancing core I8 and at the same speed; (2) it is moved by a suitable spring (not shown) which holds roller 88 against the cam 88 a short distance toward the core I8, to disengage it from the wire looped around it by the carrier 52, this being permitted by the shape of cam 88; (3) it is moved at a very much higher speed to the left in Figure 4, and then back a short distance away from core I8, to its initial position, ready to have the next loop of wire wound around it by the carrier 52.

If desired, cam 88 may be formed to move the presser foot 84 slightly away from the core I8 at the right-hand end of its stroke, to stretch the wire looped around it and the core. With sufllcient tension on the wire from shoe 88, this stretching movement is not usually necessary. As pointed out above, on the return stroke of the presser foot 84 the tension on the wire may be relieved by cams 82.

The primary purpose of cams 82 is to relieve the tension on the wire I2 when wire is fed most rapidly from the spool 42 and the tension roller 48. This occurs during the 180 of revo-' lution of the rotating ring 82 in which roller 48 moves on a path below a horizontal line through the core I 8. During this portion of'the cycle a length of wire approximately equal to the length of one of loops I8 is fed from the roller 48. The release of tension on roller 48 prevents breakage of the wire but sufllcient tension is maintalned by a friction shoel88 on spool 42 to prevent overrunning or withdrawal of the wire. No

breakage can occur under this tension because.

the greater length of free wire is more resilient. Two cams 82 arranged successively are shown. This constructiomgives a momentary tightening of wire I2 during the above-described half revolution of ring 52 sufllcient to take up any slack but not sumcient to cause breakage of the wire I 2. If desired these two cams may be replaced by a single longer cam, thus relieving the tension on the wire I2 over approximately the whole period of rapid feed.

I prefer to provide the spool 42 with a friction shoe or drag I88 held by a spring I 88. If spring I 88 is light enough,-' it will.not be necessary to relieve the pressure on shoe I88 at any time in the cycle; however, lever II8 carrying 78 the shoe I06 is shown with a third arm so that it may if desired carry a cam roller to engage a second stationary cam 82 (arranged in a different plane from the .cam 82 which controls shoe 50, so that each of shoes 50 and I00 is controlled by its own cam only.

The core, with the loops of it, nextpasses to the rollers 38, which have registering grooves receiving and embracing and compressing the core, and which crimp the loops tightly aboutthe core, stretching it preferably beyond its elastic limit so there will be little tendency to spring back.

Referringto Figure 1 is will be seen that the apex of each successive loop I6 is held by the presser foot 84 until said loop is completely through the rollers 38, before said presser foot returns to pick up the next loop already formed about its rearward portion. I

Figures 6 and 7 show an alternative form of roller made in two parts for manufacturing purposesonly. Parts II! have the necessary registering grooves for the core, immediately beside which are crimping rolls I having intermeshing wedge-shaped projections'and depressions, forming' in effect peculiarly shaped gear teeth for the purpose of catching and'holding each half of a loop IS in the proper'equi-angular relation with the axis of core I0.

.In the casecf wire so highly tempered that it does tend t6 sprin'g'back as mentioned above,- I may substitute for rollers 38 the rollers shown in Figure 8. These rollers are similar to those shown in Figures 6 and 7 with the exception that the arcuate surfaces II5 are not coaxial with the roller itself. This enables the rolls to crimp the wire above the core I0, past the desired final position, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, so that when it does spring back slightly after leaving the crimping rolls the wire loops will be substantiallyin the same plane.

After leaving the crimping rolls 38, the wired core passes between rolls have registering grooves embracing and. compressing the core. At the side of these grooves (the right side in Figure 2) these rolls 40 have approximately cylindrical portions which flatten out the wire loops into substantially a single plane. I prefer to make these portions very slightly conical, so that the rolls are slightly closer together at the apexes of the loops than adjacent the core I0, for example about .0015 inch closer. This is too small a dimension to appear in a patent drawing, but it does insure that the apexes of the wire loops are properly flattened out.

The rollers 38 have intermeshing pinions I2it (Figure 3) one of which is driven by .a shaft I22 having a worm wheel I24 driven by a worm gear I25 on the shaft 66. An idler I2I meshing with one of the pinions l20 drives somewhat larger pinions I26 operating the rolls 40.

The core I0, so provided with a series of flat resilient wire loops along one side, may then pass through a guide I28 which twists-it into a vertical plane, and thence over a spherically-surfaced roller I30 which opens up and feeds to it, from a reel I32 (Figure or other suitable source,

the slitted tubular rubber'covering I8 previously described.- The cover I8 is closed again about the corev I 0, with the wire loops projecting through the slitted side of the cover, by two grooved folding rollers I34. Rollers I 34 may be mounted on vertical shafts I35 having intermeshing drive wire formed around,-

40. These rolls 40 also gears I38 and connected to the shaft 68 by suitable shaft-and gearing connections I40.

It will be seen without further description that the advancing core loops formed about it' and the vpresser foot 84, that these loops are crimped about the core by rollers 38, the loops are then flattened by the rolls 40, and the cover I8 is next applied by rolls I30 and I34. The fabric cover 20, as previously noted, is secured in place by standard sewing machinery.

If desired, a knife I50 (Figure or the like, shown as heated by means indicated diagrammatically as an electric heating coil I52, may be mounted on the frame 58, with its point seated in a recess in a bullet-shaped guide I54 carried by a suitable bracket 456 secured to frame 58, the knife and the guide cooperating to slit the rubber tubing as it passes from the reel I32 to the spherically-surfaced roller I30.

While one illustrative machine has been described in detail, it is not my intention to limit the scope of the-invention to that particular machine, or otherwise than by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for making weather strips or the like comprising means for making a core having laterally-extending resilient means, means for supplying a non-metallic tubular cover, means for progressively slitting said cover along one side, means for progressively opening the tube after it is slit, and means for applying said opened tube progressively to the side of the core opposite said means and progressively closing said tube about the core with said core arranged insidethe tube and said resilient means projecting through the slitted side of the tube. V

. 2. A machine for making weather strips or the like comprising means for feeding a core, means for applying a resilient wire thereto with portions encircling said core and securing the wire thereto and. other portions projecting laterally in loops arranged approximately in the same plane, and means for assembling a tubular cover on said core with said loops projecting outside said cover.

3. A machine for making weather strips or the like comprising means for feeding a core, and means for applying a resilient wire thereto with portions encircling said core and securing the wire thereto and other portions projecting laterally in loops arranged approximately in the same plane.

4. A machine for covering cores having laterally-extending resilient means comprising a feed roller having a curved surface andarranged to open up a slitted tubular cover, and rollers for closing said cover up again with the core inside and the resilient means projecting through the slitted side of the cover. I

5. A machine forcovering cores having laterally-extending resilient means comprising means constructed and arranged to open up a slitted tubular cover, and other means for closing said cover up again with the core inside and the resilient means projecting through the slitted side of the cover.

6. A method of making a weather strip core member or the like comprising feeding a flexible core lengthwise under tension, feeding a presser foot in a path paralleling but spaced from said core, looping a continuous resilient wire about said core and presser foot, and compressing the wire loops at the core ends about said core leaving the other ends of said loops] projecting laterally from the core in approximately the same plane.

I0 first has a series of wire wire loops at the core ends 7. A method of making a weather strip 'core member or the like comprising'feeding a'flexible core lengthwise intermittentlyfeeding-a presser foot in 'a path paralleling but spaced from saidshifting the presser foot from the core in approximately the same plane.

8. A method of making a weather strip core member or the like comprising feeding a flexible core lengthwise under tension, feeding a presser foot in a path paralleling but spaced from said core, looping a continuous resilient wire about said core and presser foot, and compressing the about said core in a the core, and leaving the other ends of said loops projecting laterally from the core in approximately the same plane.

9. That method of making a weather strip element which comprises winding a continuous wire about a moving core in a manner forming a series of loops much larger than the diameter of said core, and compressing saidloops about the core leaving the excess wire projecting in flattened loops at one side of the core.

10. That method of making a weather strip which comprises winding a continuous wire about a moving core in a manner forming a series of loops much larger than the diameter of said core, compressing said loops about the core leaving the excess wire projecting in, flattened loops at one side of the core, placing a tubular covering about said core with said flattened loops projecting therethrough, and securing a fabric cover over the tubular covering and over said flattened loops.

11. A machine for making weather strip elements or the like comprising an annular powerrotated member carrying a supply of resilient about said core and presser oot, and means for compressing the wire closely about said core with the portions which encircled said presser foot projecting laterally from the core.

12. A machine for making weather strip elements or the like comprising an annular powerfrom said core and rotated member carrying a supply of resilient wire, means for feeding a core lengthwise through said member, a presser foot intermittently ad-- vanced in a path generally paralleling but spaced periodically shifted toward said core and then returned to its starting point, means whereby the rotation of said annular member winds wire from said source about said core and presser foot, and means for compressing the wire closely about said core with the portions which encircled said presser ally from the core. r

- 13. A machine for making weather strip elements or the like comprising means for feeding a core lengthwise, an element advanced in a path paralleling but spaced from said core, means for winding a wire about the advancingcore and element, and means for said core with the I encircled said foot projecting latercompressing the-wireabout portionsof the wire which element projecting at oneside of thecore I I 14. A machine for making weather strip elements or the like'comprising means for feeding a core lengthwise, means for winding awire about the advancing core in loops much larger than the diameter of the cor and means for compressing the wire about said core with portions projecting in flat loops at one side of the core.

15. A machine for making Weatherstrip elements or the like comprising means for feeding a core lengthwise, means for winding a wire about the advancing core in loops much larger than the diameter of the core, and means for compressing the wire about said core with portions projecting in flat loops at one side of the core, said ,means including rollers having registering grooves embracingand compressing the core with the encircling wire and also having approximately cylindrical portions atone side of the grooves to flatten said projecting loops.

16. A machine for making weather strip elements or the like comprising means for feeding a core lengthwise, means for winding a wire about the advancing'core in loops much larger than the diameter of the core, and means for compressing the wire about said core with portions'projecting in fiat loops at one side of the core, said means comprising two pairs of rollers arranged in series, each pair having registering grooves embracing and compressing the core with the encircling portions of the wire.

17. A machine for making weather strip elements or the like comprising means for feeding a core lengthwise, means for winding a wire about the advancing core in loops much larger than the diameter of the core, and means for compressing the wire about said core with portions projecting in fiat loops at one side ofthe core, said means of rollers arranged in series,

in approximately the same plane.

19. A machine for making weather strip elements or the like comprising rollers having regissaid other rollers having the approximately cylindrical portions formed on a slight taper so that they are closer together at the side opposite said core.

21. Means for compressing about a core a wire wound thereon in loops which are much larger than the diameter of the core, comprising rollers having intermeshing wedge-shaped projections and recesses formed to force one side of each loop of wire past the other side, to stretch the wire about said core, with the remaining portions of the loops projecting at one side of the core.

22. A machine for covering cores having laterally-extending resilient means comprising means constructed and arranged to open up a slitted tubular cover, and other means for closing said cover up again with the core silient means projecting through the slitted side of the cover, together with cutting means ahead of the opening means arranged to slit the tubular cover lengthwise along one side.

23. A machine of the class described comprising means for feeding lengthwise a continuous element, means for supplying wire, and means for securing wire supplied by said supplying means about and at one side .of said element in a series of loops larger than the element and which includes means to compress the loops to form flat inside and the re- 1 portions projecting laterally from the element.

24. A'machine of the class described comprising means for feeding a cordlike element length wise, a part spaced iromsaid element as it is fed, means for winding 8- wire in a series of connected loops about and at the side of said element and said part, and means to compress said loops to form flat portions lying substantially in the same plane.

25. A method of making the article described which comprises feeding lengthwise a cordlike element, looping a continuous wire about said element and another element spaced from the first element and compressing said loops to form flat portions substantially in the same plane.

26. A method of making the article described which comprises 'feeding lengthwise a cordlike element, and looping a continuous wire about and at one side of said element in a connected series of flat loops and compressing saidloops to form flat-"portions projecting laterally from the element.

ROBERT C. PIERCE. 

